Brenda Hernandez of Pomona, Calif. spent six months in Cabarete, Dominican Republic completing her University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service Capstone Project with The DREAM Project, a local NGO focused on helping all children and youth have equal opportunities to learn and realize their full potential through transformative education programs that combat the effects of poverty. Hernandez will share her findings of the impact evaluation of DREAM Project’s A Ganar youth workforce development program with key donors and partners at Comparative International Education Society Annual Conference on March 10, 2015 in Washington, D.C.
The CIES Annual Conference gives educators and practitioners from around the globe an opportunity to convene and further the goals of CIES of increasing the understanding of educational issues, trends and policies through comparative, cross-cultural and international perspectives. The conference offers the space for deliberation of cutting-edge research addressing theoretical, empirical, and practical questions in imagining a transformative education that is empowering for all humanity.
Brenda conducted an impact evaluation of DREAM’s A Ganar youth workforce development program, which will be used to measure the impact of the program of over 200 program graduates. The impact evaluation measured key areas of education, economics, and overall quality of life for program participants. The findings as well as future program recommendations will be shared with program stakeholders during upcoming presentation to key partners and donors as well as international educational scholars and practitioners at CIES Annual Conference.
“DREAM Project doesn’t often have the internal capacity to make these evaluations happen, thus working with Brenda Hernandez on an evaluation of the A Ganar youth workforce development program has been a tremendous asset to the organization,” said Molly Hamm, Associate Director at The DREAM Project. “Thanks to her work, we have the opportunity to present our results to key donors and partners including Partners of the Americas, USAID, and Social Impact. In addition, the program results will reach a wider audience as Brenda will present at the Comparative and International Education Society Annual Conference in March 2015.”
To complete this project, Hernandez conducted key informant interviews with program stakeholders including program staff, parents, and employers where students did their internships. She also conducted surveys with program graduates that included a sample size of program participants since its inception in 2011.
The capstone project is the third of three major field projects in the Clinton School curriculum. Brenda will graduate May 2015 after defending her capstone project to Clinton School faculty.